FBN Aug 2013

Virgnia VaFarmBureau.org

August 2013

Farm Bureau News

‘Ex-cidered’ about market for craft beverages

Contents 12

Virgnia Farm Bureau News

Barley, berry, hop, honey and hard cider producers help consumers drink up

While Virginia is home to nearly 700 Grade A dairies and more than 200 wineries, farms in the commonwealth also grow ingredients for a variety of other beverages.

4

Farm Bureau support helps reopened museum showcase agriculture

A contribution from Roanoke County Farm Bureau has helped showcase local agriculture in the recently reopened Science Museum of Western Virginia.

9

Fair will showcase some of farming’s past, lots of its future

Visitors to the 2013 State Fair of Virginia can see vintage farm equipment, and those who have no experience with livestock shows can take new guided tours to find out what exactly is happening.

Departments 6

Viewing Virginia

8

Washington Watch

23

In the Garden

24

Good for You!

26

Heart of the Home

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Marketplace

Volume 72, Number 5 August 2013 Virginia Farm Bureau News (USPS 017-763) (ISSN 1525-528X) is published six times a year, January, March, May, June, August, September/October (combined issue).

It is published by Virginia Farm Bureau Federation, 12580 West Creek Parkway, Richmond, VA 23238. Periodicals postage rate is paid in Richmond, VA. The annual subscription rate is $1.42 (included in membership dues).

Postmaster: Please send changes of address to, Virginia Farm Bureau Federation, Farm Bureau News, P.O. Box 27552, Richmond, VA 23261-7552; fax 804-290-1096. Editorial and business offices are located at 12580 West Creek Parkway, Richmond, VA 23238. Telephone 804-290-1000, fax 804-290-1096. Email address is virginiafarmbureaunews@vafb. com. Office hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Members — Address change? If your address or phone number has changed, or is about to change, contact your county Farm Bureau. They will update your membership and subscription information.

All advertising is accepted subject to the publisher’s approval. Advertisers must assume liability for the content of their advertising. The publisher maintains the right to cancel advertising for nonpayment or reader complaints about services or products. The publisher assumes no liability for products or services advertised.

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Member: Virginia Press Association

editorial team Greg Hicks Vice President, Communications Pam Wiley Managing Editor Kathy Dixon Sr. Staff Writer/Photographer Sara Owens Staff Writer/Photographer Morgan Barker Staff Writer/Photographer Bill Altice Graphic Designer Maria La Lima Graphic Designer Cathy Vanderhoff Advertising

publication schedule Producer members will receive their next issue of Virginia Farm Bureau News in September. The magazine is published six times a year.

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On the Cover 12

John Washburn is chairman and CEO of Bold Rock Hard Cider in Nelson County (Photo by Morgan Barker).

Officers Wayne F. Pryor, President Scott E. Sink, Vice President Board of Directors director district Emily Edmondson 1 Richcard L. Sutherland 2 Evelyn H. Janney 3 Gordon R. Metz 4 Stephen L. Saufley 5 Peter A. Truban 6 Thomas E. Graves 7 H. Carl Tinder Sr. 8 Henry E. Wood Jr. 9 Robert J. Mills Jr. 10 J. M. Jenkins Jr. 11 W. Ellis Walton 12 M. L. Everett Jr. 13 David L. Hickman 14 Janice R. Burton * Nathan A. Aker **

county Tazewell Grayson Floyd Henry Rockingham Shenandoah Orange Albemarle Buckingham Pittsylvania Lunenburg Middlesex Southampton Accomack Halifax Wythe *Women’s Committee Chairman **Young Farmers Committee Chairman

Annual convention will have technology focus, tours

Leading agriculture into the future

are optional tours on Tuesday and Wednesday morning. Tuesday’s tour is to The Meadow Event Park, home of the State Fair of Virginia and birthplace of Thoroughbred racing legend Secretariat. On Wednesday, members can visit Keystone Tractor Works in Colonial Heights. The museum is home to more than 180 fully restored antique tractors, more than 40 vintage road trucks, a few classic cars and an assortment of farm implements.

Members can sign up for the tours when they register to attend the convention. Each tour is limited to the first 50 members who sign up.

Wednesday night’s entertainment will include a casino night during which members can mingle and play casino games with the chance to win prizes.

Agriculture-related transportation in Virginia and the influence of global markets will be topics addressed at this year’s convention.

This year’s Virginia Farm Bureau Federation Annual Convention will focus on technology and how it can improve the lives of farmers.

“Leading Agriculture into the Future” is the theme of the convention, which will be held Dec. 3-5 at the Richmond Marriott.

The convention will kick off Tuesday with a keynote address by Mark Gold, managing partner of Top Third Ag Marketing, and a former member of the Chicago Board of Trade. Gold will be talking about the economics of agriculture and how global markets influence farming.

His Top Third Ag Marketing’s mission is to help farmers manage the risks associated with producing grains, livestock, milk, cotton and energy. The company’s goal is to help its customers market their products in the “top third” of prices available during the market year.

Gold also will lead one of the afternoon workshops and expand on his keynote

VirginiaFarmBureau.com

remarks. A second workshop about transportation issues in Virginia will be offered Tuesday afternoon with speakers from the Department of Motor Vehicles and the Virginia State Police.

During the business session on Wednesday, voting delegates from each county Farm Bureau will help shape the organization’s state and federal policies for the upcoming year. Delegates also will elect members of the VFBF board of directors to represent Districts 3, 6, 9 and 12.

Throughout the convention, members will be able to visit a Cyber Café, where employees will help them download a new member service app called Deals Advantage. The benefit can be used to find savings at restaurants and retail locations in Virginia and nationwide.

Members also can take advantage of the Cyber Café to get help with any technology needs they may have.

Also planned for the convention

Save the date!

Dec. 3–5, 2013 at Richmond Marriott The convention is open to voting delegates and any other interested Farm Bureau members. Details and registration forms will be available at county Farm Bureau offices and online this fall.

august 2013

3

Farm Bureau support puts agriculture in the fridge at reopened museum

By Morgan Barker he Science Museum of Western Virginia, formerly Roanoke Children’s Museum, reopened May 18 after operating from a temporary location in a mall while its Center in the Square location was re-fitted with customdesigned exhibits.

Its new exhibits all relate directly to the surrounding community.

The previous exhibits “were good examples of general science and active education,” said SMWV Executive Director Jim Rollings, “but they didn’t have a connection to Southwest Virginia. All the new exhibits retain basic science and connect to the area.”

Among donors who supported the museum’s reinvention mission is the Roanoke County Farm Bureau, which contributed $100,000. The goal behind the donation was “to bring agriculture to the people who visit the museum and to help create interest in agriculture as a vocational field,” said Roanoke Farm Bureau President Joe Murray.

Murray felt Farm Bureau and the museum had common interests.

“The science museum exhibit is based on healthy minds, healthy Earth and healthy bodies. Agriculture is somewhere between healthy Earth and healthy bodies,” he said.

The funds from the Farm Bureau were used for two interactive exhibits.

The “Farm to Fridge” exhibit features a refrigerator with a bar code scanner and a video screen. “It’s a fridge loaded with fake food,” Rollings explained. “You pick up an item and scan it in the door, and it plays a video that shows where that food came from.”

The other exhibit is called “The Soil Beneath Our Feet,” and it focuses on “what’s happening 8 to 10 feet beneath your shoes,” Rollings said. It shows a crosssection of soil at various depths, and when visitors touch a point on the exhibit it tells them about that part of the soil.

Just as the refrigerator and soil exhibits relate to the Roanoke area’s agricultural 4

Virginia Farm Bureau News

photos by morgan barker

T

The Science Museum of Western Virginia’s Healthy Bodies Gallery features a “Walk Thru Digestion” exhibit that shows how the body derives nutrition from food. A Roanoke County Farm Bureau donation helped fund another exhibit that shows the origins of that food.

heritage, other exhibits draw on regional issues and history.

“The Journey Underground” is a walkthrough “cave” that begins with the interior of a limestone cavern then transforms into a 19th-century coal mine and then a modern one. “‘Journey Underground’ exists because limestone caves and mining are both indigenous to this area,” Rollings said.

Visitors to the museum also can walk through a garden full of fluttering butterflies. “The garden is a tropical environment, and it features seven species of native butterflies,” Rollings said.

Capturing the interest of an adult audience at SMWV was particularly important, he said. “We’ve gone to a lot of effort to make it an adult place while not losing the childlike feel.” Exhibits are intended to capture children’s attention

while maintaining adult interest with technologies developed or in use in Southwest Virginia.

Murray is confident the Healthy Bodies Gallery and Healthy Earth Gallery exhibit spaces will benefit the region. “It’s the Farm Bureau’s mission to support agriculture, and this is a great investment.

The exhibit will be in place for at least seven years, and there’s money to update it along the way,” he said.

But the Farm Bureau’s role at the museum hasn’t ended. Rollings said he looks forward to working with the organization on educational planning.

“We plan to do programming around the exhibits and bring in people who work in that area to help educate visitors.”

VaFarmBureau.org

SCIENCE MUSEUM OF WESTERN VIRGINIA 1 Market St., SE Roanoke, VA. 24011 540-342-5710 smwv.org

Museum guests can scan food items in the “Farm to Fridge” refrigerator and see videos about how the foods are produced.

Viewing Virginia

Virginia will open agricultural trade office in Europe Gov. Bob McDonnell announced June 20 that Virginia will open a new trade office in Europe to focus on increasing agricultural and forestry exports to one of the world’s largest economic regions. “The new office is important for Virginia agriculture because it demonstrates the commonwealth’s commitment to increasing trade with our current and prospective partners in Europe,� said Tony Banks, a commodity marketing specialist for Virginia Farm Bureau Federation. “Virginia has enjoyed recent success exporting wood pellets, wine and other agricultural goods to Europe. The new trade office will ensure that success continues and grows.�

Andrew Brown and Associates will represent Virginia in Europe. The firm will use an existing database of European food and agribusiness buyers to help Virginia

companies find markets. “Whether it’s poultry, pork, apples, grain and soybeans or livestock genetics, Virginia’s farmers compete in a world market. We must be proactive in locating new markets. This new office says, ‘Virginia is open for business,’� Banks said.

Virginia already has agricultural trade offices in India, China and Latin America and will have a representative in Canada later this year. A statement from the governor’s office said Virginia is believed to be the only state to have a dedicated agricultural trade representative in Europe.

Number of Virginia farms drops slightly The latest official estimate of the number of farms in Virginia is 46,200 in 2012—200 fewer than the year before.

Specifically, the number of small farms generating $10,000 or less in gross income dropped by 500 in that time period, according to the National Agricultural Statistics Service. However, that’s not a sign that Virginia’s farm economy is declining, according to Dr. Jim Pease, professor of agricultural and applied economics at Virginia Tech. “It looks like the shifts in farm numbers are just normal back-and-forth between economic sales class categories,� Pease said. “There’s nothing remarkable. Some smaller farms got larger, and the larger farms expanded.�

In fact, the number of large farms increased from 2011 to 2012. There were 100 more farms generating between $250,000 and $500,000 and 100 more farms earning more than $500,000.

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Virginia Farm Bureau News

VaFarmBureau.org

Viewing Virginia Pease noted that the majority of farms in the Old Dominion are much smaller.

There are only 4,200 farms he would consider full-time operations.

“Forty-two thousand of our 46,200 farms sell less than $100,000 in product, so they obviously are heavily or completely dependent on off-farm employment,” he said. “Those larger farms are doing that much more; they’re prospering, and they’re growing. It’s just that there are not very many of them. The availability of fertile cropland and all the complexities of developing larger livestock operations are preventing many of them from growing even larger.”

Farming in general remains a challenging occupation, he noted. “It continues to be more and more important to specialize in something. The days of a farmer raising a little bit of this and a little bit of that are gone. And if you’re trying to hold a full-time job down and run a farm at the same time, it’s harder and harder to do that. It never has been easy, but now it’s more difficult than ever.”

Hunters for the Hungry seeking help from farmers Farmers need to minimize damage to their crops by hungry deer, and Hunters for the Hungry needs venison to donate to homeless shelters and food pantries.

“We can help each other,” said Gary Arrington, the Bedford County-based nonprofit’s special projects coordinator.

Farmers who are issued kill permits by the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries are required to properly dispose of deer they kill, and many don’t have the means to do so, Arrington said.

“We will work to try and get a refrigerated trailer to them, possibly help with volunteers to field dress the deer, and then work with them directly or through volunteers to get the deer transported to a participating processor. And the meat will come back to feed those in need in their communities,” he said. “We want to make it convenient for the farmers.”

According to the game department, over the past three years, an average of 3,004 kill permits has been issued and an average of 13,804 deer taken each year. The majority of deer kill permits issued to farmers go to corn and soybean growers.

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The majority of state kill permits issued to farmers to limit deer damage are issued to corn and soybean growers.

“If we could just get a couple thousand of those deer donated to us, that would be great,” Arrington said. A mature deer will average about 50 pounds of meat.

Hunters for the Hungry has been donating venison to food banks and shelters since 1991, and Arrington said the need increases each year. Between 1991 and 2012, the organization donated more than 5.2 million pounds.

Interested farmers can call 800-352-4868 or email hunt4hungry@cs.com.

“The purpose was to start a dialogue between the local Farm Bureau and Animal Control,” said Lindsay Reames, assistant director of governmental relations for Virginia Farm Bureau Federation.

Farm Bureau supported enactment of a 2011 Virginia animal care statute that defines minimal care requirements for agricultural animals: water, food and veterinary treatment as needed. Prior to the 2011 law, animal control officers could intervene only in situations where animal cruelty was alleged. “Because of the new law, there are likely to be more situations with animal control officers and agricultural animals,” Reames said.

“The Farm Bureau is committed to animal welfare and animal care, and we wanted to offer our resources” in Prince George.

She and Dr. Daniel Kovich of the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services shared details of the statute with Prince George officials, and county Farm Bureau leaders offered to help in future situations where farm animal care is a concern.

“We’re trying to get a working relationship,” said county Farm Bureau president Bill Kreider.

Reames said animal control officers can call on Farm Bureau for help in the future “if they need resources or assistance in handling agriculture animals—which may include feed, shelter or transportation.”

Prince George Farm Bureau working to assist county Animal Control Prince George County Farm Bureau has taken steps to build a relationship with local animal control officers after some agricultural animals were seized from a local farm.

Farm Bureau leaders recently met with county officials to work toward appropriate handling of animal welfare issues.

august 2013

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Washington Watch

AMERICAN FARM BUREAU WELCOMES SENATE PASSAGE OF IMMIGRATION BILL

The American Farm Bureau Federation has praised Senate passage of immigration reform legislation for the stability it could provide U.S. farms.

T

he nation’s largest farm advocacy organization on June 27 welcomed passage by the U.S. Senate of the Border Security, Economic Opportunity and Immigration Modernization Act of 2013.

American Farm Bureau Federation President Bob Stallman called the bill “the first step in reforming our broken immigration system and ensuring agriculture has access to a stable and legal workforce.”

Stallman said Farm Bureau looks forward to working with members of the House “to pass responsible immigration reform legislation that includes an earned adjustment for experienced undocumented agricultural workers and a new, flexible guestworker program.

It is critical that both chambers pass legislation that can be reconciled in conference and signed into law.”

The bill has two main components. The first is a “blue card” program in which experienced agricultural workers would get a blue card work visa. That could

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Virginia Farm Bureau News

cover those working in the United States without permission or under the current H-2A farm labor program.

The second component is creation of a new guestworker program that would replace H-2A. It provides for a three-year visa term and employment arrangements on contract or at will, so workers would have flexibility and could migrate and follow seasonal crop patterns. Workers also would be allowed to return to their countries when seasonal farm work is done.

Such an arrangement, Stallman said, would give farm employers the stability of a contract when needed.

“America’s farmers and ranchers depend on the workers who show up every day to tend crops and raise livestock. The Senatepassed bill will help ensure an adequate supply of farm labor. It also provides increased surveillance of high-risk areas along our borders. One of the best ways to improve border security is to create a legal, workable way for farm workers to enter our country.”

Farm Bureau: Estate tax repeal act will ‘get the job done’ The American Farm Bureau Federation last week voiced support for legislation introduced in both the House and Senate that would permanently repeal the federal estate tax: the Death Tax Repeal Act of 2013.

While significant tax relief was enacted last year to help farmers cope with estate taxes, AFBF believes a permanent repeal is still the best solution to protect U.S. farms and ranches. The new legislation would repeal the estate tax, maintain a steppedup basis and make permanent a 35 percent maximum gift tax rate and $5 million lifetime gift tax exemption indexed for inflation.

“Individuals, family partnerships and family corporations own 98 percent of our nation’s 2 million farms and ranches,” said AFBF President Bob Stallman. “When estate taxes on an agricultural business exceed cash and other liquid assets, surviving family partners may be forced to sell land, buildings or equipment needed to keep their businesses running. This not only can cripple a farm or ranch operation, but also hurts the rural communities and businesses that agriculture supports.”

Recent increases in cropland values—on average 15 percent from 2011 to 2012— have expanded the number of farms and ranches that are not covered by the current estate tax exemption.

“Farm Bureau believes the estate tax should be eliminated permanently,” Stallman said. “We fully support the Death Tax Repeal Act of 2013 to get the job done.”

VaFarmBureau.org

2013

Fair to showcase some of agriculture’s past, lots of its future— with a generous dose of FUN

V

isitors to the 2013 State Fair of Virginia can see vintage farm equipment, and those who have no experience with livestock shows can take new guided tours to find out what exactly is happening.

They also can go for a spin—or a drop, or a gentle glide—on their favorite midway rides and indulge in their favorite fried foods, foods on sticks, fried foods on sticks and sticky sweets.

This year’s State Fair of Virginia will run from Sept. 27 through Oct. 6 at The Meadow Event Park in Caroline County. The gates will open at 10 a.m. each day, and ticket prices, fair hours and information on concerts, attractions and competitions are available at StateFairVa.org.

Sept. 27–Oct. 6, 2013

2013 Turn-of-the-century life to be featured in Heritage Village

By Kathy Dixon A father takes his son to the State Fair of Virginia, sees an antique tractor and reminisces about his granddaddy driving a similar tractor.

“Those are the kind of experiences offered in Heritage Village,” said John Soderberg, superintendent of the nostalgic area at the state fair. “There is something for the whole family there.”

The exhibit area seeks to re-create aspects of farm life in the early 1900s. Years ago it Vintage farm equipment has always been a part of the State even included an old farmstead, Fair’s Heritage Village exhibit. complete with a barn and a primitive farmhouse with a root cellar.

It has since been scaled back, but it’s in a new, easy-to-find location in the Harvest Landing area, alongside Young MacDonald’s Farm and the agriculture commodity-focused Meadow Pavilion. There will be lots of opportunities for reminiscing and sharing.

There also will be a blacksmith hand-forging tools and a hammer mill being used to flour.

Additionally, the Civil War 150 HistoryMobile, an interactive museum on wheels, will be on site. The 53-foot tractor trailer began a four-year tour in 2011 in conjunction with the 150th anniversary commemoration of the First Battle of Manassas. Agriculture played an integral role in the Civil War. Soderberg will be displaying a one-third scale reproduction of a steam-powered tractor and a miniature steam-powered hay baler.

“You have to remember that in the early 1900s there was no electricity so farmers had to rely on whatever resources they had,” Soderberg said. “The original vision for Heritage Village was to educate fairgoers on the past, present and future of farming.”

He is looking for farmers who might want to donate or exhibit antique farm equipment or other related items. The following items or displays are needed: • antique toys • antique farm tools • apple press and cider making • basket making • broom making • early telephone or telegraph • peanut planting and harvesting equipment • sorghum press and cooking demos • tobacco leaves and accessories Anyone interested in sharing those items or skills can call Soderberg at 757-406-8803 or email Glenn Martin, the fair’s livestock and events coordinator, at gmartin@statefairva.org.

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Virginia Farm Bureau News

Antique household appliances and kitchen implements will be featured in Heritage Village as well.

Moo U guides will take guests on tours of fair’s livestock area

By Morgan Barker Educational staff from Moo U will be on hand at the State Fair of Virginia to give tours of the livestock area this year.

The Texas-based company offers its services at fairs to help guests who do not farm understand more about livestock production and agriculture in general.

“Our whole philosophy is centered on educating the public about production livestock. We want to give them facts about what farmers and ranchers do,” said owner Jeannene Xanthus. She started Moo U after traveling across the United States with her children to show livestock. “It was clear people were curious about what was going on,” she said.

Moo U walking tours will take guests through the livestock areas, and guides will answer questions about livestock and agriculture. The family-appropriate tours are unscripted and last about 45 minutes. “The tours are based on what’s happening in the barns and the visitors’ interests,” Xanthus said.

Moo U tour guides have strong backgrounds in agriculture. “Many of the guides have degrees in agriculture, and all of them go through training to become a guide,” Xanthus said. They attempt to answer all visitor questions. “All of our facts come from the USDA or major agricultural universities,” Xanthus said.

Some topics covered in the tours include the difference between brown eggs and white eggs, whether chickens have earlobes and the uses of livestock byproducts.

Moo U also addresses common misconceptions about food and agriculture.

“It’s not uncommon that we get kids who think eggs come from the grocery store,” Xanthus said.

If Xanthus doesn’t know the answer to a visitor’s question, she researches it and emails an answer.

“All my life, I plan to be learning things about agriculture,” she said.

VaFarmBureau.org

2013 Virginian-Pilot recruiting its annual Dream Team for State Fair candy competitions The mission is simple: Round up the Hampton Roads area’s greatest bakers and confectioners, and send them to the State Fair of Virginia to compete. For the past five years, The Virginian-Pilot has assembled its annual Dream Team, and they’ve had considerable success.

Since 2008 members of the Dream Team have won 46 ribbons in cake, cookies, pie and breads competitions. The team took 13 of those ribbons at the 2012 fair, when it competed in the yeast bread categories.

Several years ago, “I got an invitation to be a judge at the State Fair baked goods competition. Along the way I noticed that there weren’t any bakers from our area,” said Virginian-Pilot staffer Lorraine Eaton.

She set out to change that.

The first year the Dream Team competed in the cake competition. “The response was unbelievable. We had 60 to 70 cakes” for local judging, Eaton said. “We took 10 cakes to the fair and won eight ribbons.”

It’s become a tradition. “People expect it. I start getting emails early in the year,” Eaton said.

This year she is recruiting team members who want to compete in the candy categories, which include caramels, chocolate fudge, divinity, mints, peanut brittle, truffles and walnut candies. “We do not have as many entries this year,” she said last month. “Candy is a dying art. No one has entered the divinity competition yet.”

Heidi Robertson of Norfolk has competed on the Dream Team for two years. She entered the bread competitions with a chipotle Cheddar brick bread and a Parmesan Cheddar rustic bread.

“I recognize the competitors. It’s almost like a little family that we have. We see each other’s names in print and give a little nod when we recognize each other,” Robertson said.

Anne Urbi, also of Norfolk, has competed on the Dream Team twice. “My mother and I collaborate; we did a sweet potato biscuit and a coffee cake for yeast breads,” Urbi said. “It’s something my mother and I look forward to doing together. I do the baking, and she helps with the recipe and tasting.”

Urbi likes the Dream Team competition because it encourages people from Hampton Roads to enter the State Fair competitions. “Most of us would never have entered if we had to drive to Richmond at the crack of dawn,” she said.

The Virginian-Pilot will deliver Dream Team entries to the State Fair, and Eaton will blog live from the competition.

Robertson and Urbi plan to compete again. “I love a good food competition,” Robertson said.

The Virginian-Pilot will host a tasting in mid-August to determine which confectioners make the cut. Area chefs and past Dream Team members will serve as judges. “The judging part is always a nail-biter,” Eaton said.

VirginiaFarmBureau.com

IR

FA STATE

E D E P STAM 3 r 5, 201 Octobe

5 & 10K

State Fair Stampede will include scenic 5K and 10K benefit races Runner and walker registrations are being accepted for the State Fair Stampede 5K and 10K races, which will be held Oct. 5 during this year’s State Fair of Virginia.

A portion of the proceeds will benefit Virginia’s Agriculture in the Classroom program, which serves to educate Virginia’s teachers and students about the role agriculture plays in the environment and in their health and overall well-being.

Registrations will be accepted through 8 p.m. on O ct. 4. Registration is $30 for the 5K and $40 for the 10K through Sept. 4; $35 for the 5K and $45 for the 10K Sept. 5 through Oct. 1; and $40 for the 5K and $50 for the 10K Oct. 2 through Oct. 4. Registration for the half-mile Stampede Kids’ Run is $10.

Participants can register through raceit.com.

august 2013

11

Barley, berry, hop, honey and hard cider producers help consumers drink up Virginia’s official beverage is milk, and the Old Dominion has made a name for itself in the wine and wine grape industries.

But while Virginia is home to nearly 700 Grade A dairies and more than 200 wineries, there are farms where ingredients are grown for a variety of other beverages.

‘Figure out what your customer wants and give it to them’

Northern Neck grains help make gold-medal whiskey for Rappahannock distillery Billy Dawson and Rick Wasmund occasionally toast their success with an award-winning product they’ve partnered to create.

The barley that Dawson grows in Northumberland County is made into a gold medal-winning, small-batch whiskey

by Wasmund’s Copper Fox Distillery in Rappahannock County.

“I was tired of cutting a beautiful load of grain and taking it to the elevator and seeing it get dumped in with other not-so-great grains and getting shipped somewhere,” Dawson said with a sigh.

“All of that hard work, and I was getting no satisfaction.”

And Wasmund wanted a local, quality grain that would help him create his hand-malted, applewood-aged Wasmund’s Single Malt Whisky.

“The Virginia barley that Billy grows and his meticulous attention to detail have made all the difference,” Wasmund said.

“I had a strong preference for using local ingredients, but it really boiled down to the quality of the product.

“To me it’s also important to be close to the producer and the product, and see it growing in the field.”

Dawson has been growing grains on the Northern Neck since 1986. Several years ago, he noticed bags of cracked corn at

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Virginia Farm Bureau News

his local feed store and saw they were from Pennsylvania. “I thought, ‘Why not Virginia?’”

He did some research, and then he “hemmed and hawed, and hemmed and hawed, and finally bought grain-cleaning equipment. Then I thought, ‘What have I done?’”

What he did was create a variety of value-added business opportunities for the grains that he had been growing on 1,200 acres.

With the new equipment, he started processing whole and cracked corn, milo and sunflower seeds. And then Wasmund asked if Dawson could supply him with a high-quality barley to malt for whiskey.

Dawson consulted Wasmund about his specific needs and decided that a barley variety called “thoroughbred” had the right malting properties. Thoroughbred barley is pure Virginia—bred by Virginia Tech, grown in Virginia, malted in Virginia and consumed in Virginia.

“You have to figure out what your customer wants and give it to them,” Dawson said.

Recently Wasmund asked him about growing a different type of barley that he wanted to use for a single malt gin.

In response, Dawson planted a two-row barley from Idaho instead of a typical six-row variety, and the gin is soon to be released.

Dawson still sells grains as commodities, but “you can’t push the price. With valueadded products, you can,” he said.

“And with the bad downturn in commodity prices, I’m hoping this valueadded business will help me keep the farm.”

Dawson is optimistic that the trend of small distilleries, breweries and wineries using local ingredients will continue to expand. “I’m willing to help any farmer who’s interested in this.”

kathy dixon

By Kathy Dixon

“You can’t push the price” when selling grain as a commodity, grower Billy Dawson noted.

“With value-added products, you can.”

VaFarmBureau.org

kathy dixon

“I’m hoping this value-added business will help me keep the farm,” Dawson said of grains he grows for whiskey and gin.

VirginiaFarmBureau.com

august 2013

13

‘You can just have a glass and enjoy it’

Farm families’ fruit wine traditions tickling new taste buds

By Morgan Barker Peaks of Otter Winery in Bedford County and Hill Top Berry Farm and Winery in Nelson County turned family traditions into business ventures.

Hill Top is a second-generation family farm and has been a winery since 1993.

“My dad always made wine, and people asked him why he didn’t sell it. It was really a hobby turned into a business,” said owner Kimberly Pugh.

Peaks of Otter began selling wine made with family recipes in 1996. “My grandmother made wine. She fermented the berries in apple juice, because she didn’t have enough money to buy sugar.

So we’ve converted her recipes and ferment our berries in apple juice instead of water and sugar,” said owner Danny Johnson.

Berry wines, also known as fruit wines and country wines, are distinguished from traditional wines because they are not made with grapes. Instead they utilize a variety of fruits, including elderberries, raspberries, blackberries and strawberries.

The fermenting process is the same.

“They’re unique, they taste good and you really recognize the fruit they’re made out of,” Pugh said.

Most of the wines at Peaks of Otter have an apple base. In addition to more traditional apple, blackberry and strawberry wines, Johnson offers options such as chili pepper and cinnamon wines.

Hill Top specializes in “recreating ancient beverages,” true-to-the-fruit wines made with blueberries, blackberries, cranberries, peaches, plums, pears and elderberries. Hill Top makes and sells mead as well.

The berry wines are quite popular.

“We take our wine to festivals and have tastings at the winery. We sell out every year, so there’s nothing left over to distribute elsewhere,” said Deborah Pugh, who runs the Hill Top tasting room.

Peaks of Otter distributes throughout much of Central and Northern Virginia.

“I think our customers like the uniqueness of our wine. It’s a fun wine; you can just have a glass and enjoy it,” Johnson said.

In addition to wine tastings, Hill Top and Peaks of Otter offer tours and opportunities for visitors to pick berries.

“We let people tour the vineyard and the winery if we’re doing work. They can also meet the farm animals. They see we’re a working farm and get the full farm experience,” Johnson said.

morgan barker

“We sell out every year, so there’s nothing left over to distribute elsewhere.” — Deborah Pugh

Fruit used in Hill Top Berry Farm and Winery wines includes blackberries, blueberries, peaches, plums and elderberries.

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Virginia Farm Bureau News

VaFarmBureau.org

‘We’re still learning, but we’re getting better every year’

Variety may be the spice of life, but hops are the spice of beer Blue Mountain Brewery’s 2012 hops “blew me away,” said co-owner Taylor Smack.

The Nelson County brewery’s Full Nelson beer carried hints of lime rind, with undertones of fresh coconut. “It was amazing,” Smack said enthusiastically.

He credits the flavor of the beer to its hop grower, Stan Driver, who has been cultivating hops for Blue Mountain since 2009.

“I’m a novice hop grower, and we’re still learning,” Driver said modestly, “but we’re getting better every year.”

This is the sixth growing season for the variety of hops called Cascade, which thrives in Virginia. Driver, the owner of Hoot ‘N Holler Hops, has tried other varieties but saw limited success.

Most hops used in Virginia beers are of the pelletized variety, which typically are shipped to the East Coast from the Pacific Northwest.

Due to a lack of infrastructure, East Coast growers can’t compete with the commercial hop yards in the Northwest.

“They have 1,000-acre fields compared to my ¹⁄3 -acre ones,” Driver said.

On a third of an acre, he can grow enough hops for about 300 pounds of wet hops, which equals 30 barrels of finished beer. Wet hop beers are seasonal, because the hops are perishable and can’t be shipped.

Many craft beer drinkers prefer wet hops. Driver said wet versus dry hops beer is similar to the differences between fresh and dried herbs in food.

At Blue Mountain, the wet hops are harvested during a festival at which craft beer enthusiasts provide free labor.

Award-winning Blue Reserve, the beer that is made with the newly harvested hops, lasts about a week, Smack said.

“It creates a little frenzy for the people who like this type of beer,” Driver said.

Driver grew up on a North Carolina tobacco farm and later grew organic produce in Nelson County. In 1995 he became a horticultural consultant and met Smack through the industry.

VirginiaFarmBureau.com

kathy dixon

By Kathy Dixon

Stan Driver has been growing hops for Blue Mountain Brewery since 2009.

When Smack and his wife, Mandi, and their other partner, Matt Nucci, applied for a permit to open Blue Mountain, they were required to grow hops on the land to meet agricultural zoning requirements.

Smack planted hops on the property in 2007, and Driver simultaneously planted 50 plants in his own backyard as an experiment. “It was an instant connection for me,” he said. Driver’s hops thrived, but Smack’s didn’t.

He hired Driver to take over, and in 2009 the Blue Mountain Brewery hops were replanted; Driver has cultivated them ever since. He grows hops in Augusta, Madison and Nelson counties and at the Blue Mountain Barrel House, which is Blue Mountain Brewery’s production facility.

“It has been a gradual process, but I’m probably the only person in Virginia growing hops for a living,” Driver said.

As chairman of the Old Dominion Hops Cooperative, he encourages other farmers to consider growing hops because there is increasing demand for hops grown on the East Coast.

“It’s fun getting to know all these brewers—and there’s always beer,” he said with a grin.

HOP FACTS }

There is no major commercial use for hops other than in beer.

}

The hop plant is a climbing, herbaceous perennial that is trained to grow up strings in a field called a hop yard.

}

Hops contribute bitterness to beer to balance the sweetness of the malt.

}

Hops are often used to contribute aromas to beer—from flowery to fruity to herbal.

}

Hops have an antibiotic effect that favors the activity of brewer’s yeast over that of less-desirable microorganisms.

august 2013

15

‘A lot of it has been trial and error’

Making mead is a simple equation for science teachers

kathy dixon

Visitors from as far away as Sweden have come to Carroll County to sit on the sippin’ porch at Blacksnake Meadery and sample a little Meloluna or Sweet Virginia.

What grew out of a home-brewing hobby has become a booming weekend business for Steve and Jo Villers.

Each weekend from April through November, the Roanoke high school science teachers sell and offer tastings of 10 different styles of mead.

“People mistakenly think mead must be sickeningly sweet because it’s made from honey, but that’s not the case,” said Jo Villers. “All of our meads taste completely different, and 70 percent of them are dry, not sweet.”

One of their newest meads, Ginny Raz, combines black raspberries with honey for a taste that’s fruity, but not too sweet. The Villers are quick to point out that mead can have characteristics similar to those of beer or wine, but it is markedly different.

Ironically, it was beer that started the couple on the path to mead. Steve Villers was making beer as a hobby when they lived in Fredericksburg.

Tired of the rat race, the couple decided to buy some rural property and start a business. Steve was interested in beekeeping and started researching how to make mead from honey. “A lot of it was

teenage daughter. Some of the mead is sold at the meadery but Blacksnake brands also are distributed through more than 20 retail outlets statewide.

Last year they produced 500 cases of mead, which equates to 6,000 bottles.

Blacksnake is classified as a farm winery, so at least 50 percent of its product has to be sourced from the Villers’ own bees. That can become a problem if bees are lost to bears or disease, so they are applying to change their designation.

The couple plans to continue making at Jo and Steve Villers opened least half of the mead Blacksnake Meadery in 2006. with their own honey and sourcing the rest mainly from Virginia run-down, and there were blacksnake beekeepers, with the exception of Tupelo skins hanging in the garage, but we liked honey, which comes from Florida. it,” Jo said.

There are five active hives at the The couple bought the property in 2004, meadery, and the couple keep others in purchased a few beehives the following their backyard in Roanoke and on other year, began making mead in early 2006 property around the city. They currently and opened the meadery that September. have 26 but plan to add more each year.

They make and bottle all of their meads “Eventually we’d like to do this full on site, with occasional help from their time,” Steve said. been trial and error,” he said.

A friend suggested the couple look for land in Floyd County, and that search eventually led them to a rustic log cabin on 12 acres in Dugspur. “It looked pretty

By Kathy Dixon

Types of mead BRAGGOT is mead made with malted grains and honey, often with hops as well.

CYSER is mead made with apples.

PYMENT is a fermented blend of honey and grape juice.

HIPPOCRAS is a spiced pyment, usually sweet.

MELOMELS are meads made with fruit. They can be fruity, aromatic and sweet, or dry with just a hint of fruit essence.

METHEGLINS are meads made with herbs and spices—frequently cinnamon, clove and ginger.

SACK MEADS are sweet, traditional meads, often aged for extended periods.

HYDROMEL is a newer category used to classify any mead that is less than 10 percent alcohol.

16

Virginia Farm Bureau News

VaFarmBureau.org

‘When you’ve got a lot of apples, you need to figure out what to do with them’

Cidery operators ‘ex-cidered’ about drink’s renaissance and fell in love with his style—light, crisp and refreshing,” Washburn said.

Bold Rock currently leases a local orchard for its apples and is planting an orchard of its own.

Like the cider industry, the cidery is expanding. “We’ve done nearly six times what we projected in our business plan in our first year,” Washburn said.

Washburn and Shanks say they are “ex-cidered” to be a part of what Washburn called a “cider renaissance.”

“We’re humbled by the fact that we’re part of an industry that’s regenerating what was here once before,” Shanks said.

Cider has a long and rich history in Virginia. George Washington and Thomas Jefferson drank it daily, and colonists brought their taste for it from their home countries.

Today, cider makes up only 0.2 percent of the beer market in the United States, while overseas it makes up nearly 17 percent. But a rapid increase in Virginia cideries suggests cider is poised for a comeback.

Albemarle Ciderworks in Albemarle County put out its first hard cider in 2009, marketing its product in wine-size bottles with beer-style caps. The cider is made with heirloom apples and has a higher alcohol content than many beers.

According to Chuck Shelton, cider maker at Albemarle, the finished product is similar to what the founding fathers drank. “It is the same thing except we filter it more for shelf stability,” he said.

Albemarle is amongst the oldest cideries in Virginia and part of a growing industry producing old-timey favorites.

“When we first started growing apples, we had no inkling of cider. Cider wasn’t even around when we started,” Shelton said, “but when you’ve got a lot of apples, you need to figure out what to do with them.”

A small family business, Albemarle produces 36,000 bottles a year and distributes in parts of Virginia, Maryland and Washington.

At the other end of the cider spectrum, Bold Rock Hard Cider creates a product packaged in beer bottles with a low alcohol content.

Located in Nelson County, Bold Rock just celebrated its one-year anniversary and exemplifies the rapid growth of the cider industry.

“We’re already in most of the grocery store chains, and we’ve got something like 150 bars with ciders on tap,” said Brian Shanks, president and cider maker at Bold Rock.

Shanks is a veteran cider maker who was recruited by John Washburn, Bold Rock’s chairman and CEO. “I called Brian

VirginiaFarmBureau.com

morgan barker

By Morgan Barker

“We’ve done nearly six times what we projected in our business plan in our first year,” said John Washburn, chairman and CEO of Bold Rock Hard Cider.

august 2013

17

arMm FHO E C H E C K UP

C HE C K L I S T

While harvesting crops is time-sensitive work, and the elements don’t always follow your schedule, there’s always time to do some basic safety checks before getting started. Would you rather save time, or potentially save a life?

Fire prevention ■ Fire extinguishers! Get one if you don’t have one. Check the

one(s) you do have to make sure they are still charged. If you have had an extinguisher more than five or six years, consider having it serviced by a reputable company, or replacing it. Don’t forget the fire extinguisher program for eligible equipment covered by a Virginia Farm Bureau insurance policy. See your agent for details.

■ Make sure fire extinguishers are in a handy location—not in

storage or behind the seat of equipment.

■ Take the time to clean, wash or blow off equipment every day to

help reduce the chances of a fire.

Before getting on the road

Equipment in general

■ Check all slow-moving vehicle emblems to ensure that the red is

■ Remember – no extra riders on tractors and other equipment.

bright and reflective and the orange is not faded.

■ If your tractor does not have a rollover protective structure and ■ Check all reflective tape on trailers and other equipment to

ensure it is clean and still reflective.

■ Consider installing flashing amber lights on equipment to catch

the attention of other drivers.

■ Use escort vehicles, especially when moving wide equipment.

seat belt, consider installing them. Virginia Far Bureau offers a $400 incentive to help offset the cost.

■ Read the owner/operator manual, and follow all manufacturer

recommendations for operation and maintenance.

■ Shut down equipment when you need to work on it. If working

on tractor-drawn equipment, shut the tractor down as well.

■ Check all lights and signals on tractors, combines and other

equipment. If your equipment does not have turn signals, remember to use hand signals when on public roads.

■ If you need reflective safety items, contact your county Farm

Bureau about SMV emblems, reflective tape and other products available at special prices through Sept. 30.

■ Use safety locks or blocks on hydraulic equipment when

performing maintenance or repairs.

■ Talk with your insurance agent about your farm policy and what

it covers. Educate yourself on exclusions or riders that might be available to you.

Farmers from Virginia participating in national hearing-loss study Last year Virginia Farm Bureau agreed to partner with the University of Michigan’s “HEAR on the Farm” research program and began recruiting producer members to participate in a study related to reducing hearing loss among farmers.

Two dozen Virginia farmers—and nearly 500 farmers nationwide— have volunteered to participate. The study will focus on increasing producers’ use of hearing protection devices.

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Virginia Farm Bureau News

“We’re extremely grateful to our members who have agreed to participate in the study,” said Jimmy Maass, Farm Bureau safety manager. “About three-quarters of U.S. farmers ultimately experience some degree of hearing loss, and we’re proud to be helping the University of Michigan find ways to lower that.”

VaFarmBureau.org

CLEAN FARM EQUIPMENT IS SAFE EQUIPMENT

By Sara Owens Before using farm equipment this fall, it is important to do some clean-up to prevent fires.

“Crop dust, dirt and debris can build up on machines such as combines, tractors and hay balers, and if the equipment is not kept clean, it can catch on fire,” said Jimmy Maass, safety manager for Virginia Farm Bureau. “So it is important to clean equipment after it has been used.”

Always follow all safety procedures posted on the machine and in the instruction manual. Make sure the engine is off, the key is removed and the parking brake is set before inspecting or cleaning machinery.

While wearing safety glasses, use compressed air or a leaf blower to thoroughly clean the equipment from top to bottom.

Oil and fluid leaks on tractors or other equipment also can cause a fire.

“Equipment should be repaired when leaks occur, and residue from leaks should be cleaned off of equipment to prevent a fire,” Maass said.

Also, make sure all equipment has properly inflated tires, and check all wheel bearings. If tires are not inflated properly or wheel bearings have gone bad they can generate heat and start a fire, Maass said.

“You should also make sure all belts are in good condition and properly tensioned to prevent fires.”

A fully charged water fire extinguisher should be kept on hay balers, and a dry chemical fire extinguisher should be kept on tractors and other equipment.

“Fire extinguishers also should be kept by the door of all buildings, including barns, shops and garages,” Maass said.

If a fire does occur, call 911 or the nearest fire department before trying to extinguish the fire. If you begin to experience any health issues such as difficulty breathing, get away from the fire.

Harvest activity creates lots of dust, which can contribute to an equipment fire if there are no periodic cleanings.

Use caution when transporting farm equipment on roadways Transporting farm equipment on the roadways can be dangerous, but by alerting motorists you decrease the risk.

Some steps to take when moving farm equipment include:

>> Displaying a slow-moving vehicle emblem to alert motorists. State law requires that all farm equipment designed to travel at speeds less than 25 MPH traveling on public roads display an SMV emblem.

>> Using amber strobe lights and red and orange reflective tape to make equipment more visible to motorists.

>> Using an escort vehicle when traveling with large pieces of equipment in heavy-traffic areas or on winding roads.

>> Pulling off to the side of the road at a safe place if there’s a line of cars behind you, allowing motorists to pass you. Let the motorist make the decision to pass—never motion them to pass.

>> Turning on headlights and flashers when moving equipment on the road.

Do not turn on work lights—they can blind other drivers.

>> Installing a rollover protective structure on farm equipment and always wearing your seat belt when operating equipment.

VirginiaFarmBureau.com

august 2013

19

Members always save on Grainger purchases Whether you need specialty products or just right tool for a specific job, you can put your Virginia Farm Bureau membership to work and save 10 percent on all purchases from Grainger.

The discount applies at Grainger retail locations, online at grainger.com and when ordering from the Grainger catalog.

Farm Bureau members’ online purchases also qualify for free shipping.

Grainger serves 2 million customers from North American manufacturing, commercial, government, transportation and contractor markets and offers a wide variety of inventory management and online purchasing solutions. The company works with more than 3,000 suppliers to provide products for categories including these: • cribs; • electrical; • exercise equipment; • fleet and vehicle maintenance; • HVAC; • hand tools; • hardware; • hydraulics; • janitorial; • lighting; • mattresses; • motors; • office supplies and furniture; • painting; • plumbing; • power tools and metalworking; • pumps; • safety; • security; • team sports equipment; and • yard and pool equipment.

To use your Farm Bureau discount, you’ll need your Farm Bureau membership number, which is on your membership card, and the Virginia Farm Bureau Grainger discount code, available from your county Farm Bureau.

Grainger can apply your Farm Bureau discount to an existing Grainger account, so you automatically save every time you buy.

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Virginia Farm Bureau News

ClearValue now offers savings on Starkey hearing devices ClearValue Hearing, which offers Virginia Farm Bureau members savings on professional audiology services and hearing devices, partners with The Starkey Group, the world’s largest manufacturer of hearing aids.

The Starkey family of hearing instruments includes Audibel, AudioSync, Micro Tech and NuEar products.

If you or family members are experiencing ear disorders, hearing loss or have questions about the ClearValue program, contact your county Farm Bureau for information on how to activate your free ClearValue Hearing membership.

Medical alert benefit can give peace of mind Help is always within reach for Virginia Farm Bureau members who use the Member’s Medical Alert program.

Powered by national provider LifeStation, the service makes it easy for members or their loved ones to summon assistance to their homes in an emergency.

The service allows senior adults to remain independent while providing their families with peace of mind.

The equipment is easy to install; simply plug it into an existing phone line. LifeStation maintains a state-of-the-art, 24-hour call center with care specialists. Users can reach a care specialist via a tabletop console or a help button that can be mounted on a wall, worn around the neck or wrist or clipped to a belt. The care specialists will contact local emergency services professionals and designated family members or friends.

All Member’s Medical Alert equipment will be shipped at no charge.

Farm Bureau members pay a special monthly rate of $25.95 and are eligible for a 30-day money-back trial. The service involves no long-term contract, and members may cancel at any time.

Your county Farm Bureau can provide details and contact information. Members also can access details at VaFarmBureau.org/benefits.

Expanded livestock protection services available in Eastern Va. Beginning in August, farmers in Eastern Virginia will have a new resource for protecting their animals from predation by coyotes and other predators.

The Virginia General Assembly increased funding for livestock protection activities, allowing state and federal agencies to add a livestock protection specialist position to a program that has been successful in western parts of the commonwealth. Administered by the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services, the program assisted 150 livestock producers in 2012 after those producers reported losses of cattle, sheep and goats.

Wildlife specialists can provide information and training on husbandry practices and other non-lethal methods to help reduce predation. They also can evaluate predatorkilled livestock to identify the predator and, in some cases, remove predators locally. The program conducted 17 educational presentations on coyote ecology and coyote damage management for producers and the public in 2012.

Livestock producers experiencing damage from predators can contact the USDA Wildlife Services program at 804-739-7739 or 866-4USDA-WS (866-487-3297).

VaFarmBureau.org

Ambassador program open to young adults who care about agriculture The annual Virginia Farm Bureau Ambassador competition is open to young adults who want to be a spokesperson for agriculture and represent Farm Bureau.

To enter, applicants must be: Farm Bureau members who are at least 18 years old and have not reached their 26th birthdays by Dec. 31. They also must be nominated by Oct. 15 and complete an application signed by their county Farm Bureau women’s committee chairman. Applications are due Dec. 31.

Students can get an early start in Farm Bureau Students interested in becoming active Farm Bureau members can get an early start through Virginia Farm Bureau Federation’s Collegiate Young Farmers program.

The program provides an opportunity for students to interact with others who share an interest in agriculture.

The student-led program continues to expand, reflecting an enthusiasm for agriculture among young adults. Active chapters at Ferrum College, New River Community College, Southside Virginia Community College, Virginia State University and Virginia Tech will be meeting throughout the fall semester. Students from Blue Ridge Community College, Bridgewater College and James Madison University participate through Young Farmers programs in the Shenandoah Valley. Students at any Virginia colleges and universities are welcome to participate in activities and contests throughout the year.

For more information about the Collegiate Young Farmers Program or to establish a chapter at a school in Virginia, contact Ron Saacke, VFBF director of Women and Young Farmers at 804-2901032 or ron.saacke@vafb.com.

VirginiaFarmBureau.com

The state-level winner will be announced at the 2014 VFBF Women’s Conference in March. He or she will receive a $3,000 scholarship from the Women’s Committee, and the runner-up will receive $500.

The winner will make public appearances across the state as a representative of agriculture and Farm Bureau.

This year’s winner, Whitney Perkins of Louisa County, set out to speak “loud and proud about the accomplishments of the industry” earlier this year. Perkins is a past

state FFA officer who grew up on her family’s beef cattle farm. She attends Virginia Tech, where she is majoring in agricultural sciences with minors in animal and poultry sciences, as well as in leadership and social change. She aspires to become an agriculture educator.

For more information about the Virginia Farm Bureau Ambassador program, visit VaFarmBureau.org/contests.

Get $500 off purchase or lease of selected GM vehicles Farm Bureau members in Virginia can receive a $500 discount on the purchase or lease of qualifying Buick, Chevrolet and GMC vehicles at participating dealerships.

The Farm Bureau GM $500 Vehicle Discount Program is available for members who are at least 18 and have been Farm Bureau members for at least 60 days.

The discount is not a rebate and may not be stackable with some other incentives. It must be processed at the time of delivery; GM will not accept certificates on vehicles that already have been delivered.

To use this member benefit, visit fbverify.com/GM, enter your membership number and ZIP code, and print out a Farm Bureau Membership Verification Certificate to take to your GM dealership.

Members without Internet access can get assistance in acquiring a certificate from their county Farm Bureau offices.

See participating GM dealers for full details.

ELIGIBLE VEHICLES: Chevrolet

Buick

Avalanche

Enclave

Aveo

LaCrosse

Camaro

Lucerne

Camaro C

Regal

Camaro ZL1

Verano

Colorado Corvette Cruze Equinox Express HHR Impala Malibu (including 2013)

GMC Acadia Canyon Savana Sierra Terrain Yukon

Silverado

Excluded from discount

Suburban

Cadillac

Tahoe

Chevrolet Volt

Traverse

august 2013

21

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Virginia Farm Bureau News

Member FDIC

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VaFarmBureau.org

In the Garden

Choose plants that will add brilliant fall color to your garden Fall foliage is a riot of bright oranges, deep reds and rich yellows. The home gardener has plenty of plant options, but a little patience is in order.

“Creating a garden that is full of fall color is not hard to do, but it can take three, five or even 10 years to get that great fall color” as plants mature, said horticulturalist Mark Viette.

Shrubs and trees Viette recommended include: • fringe tree; • witch hazel; • full moon maple; • sugar maple; • dogwood; • viburnum; • deciduous holly; • sourwood; and • beautyberry.

The fringe tree and witch hazel are particularly good choices for yellow in the fall, he said. “The sun really glows through the leaves of the full moon maple, making the garden beautiful.”

The yield of time invested now in planting for fall color “can last a lifetime or more,” Viette said. “Trees, especially, can last hundreds of years. Try adding a variety of color, and native plants and trees like the dogwood will work well too.”

Sourwood foliage will start out pink and turn scarlet. The native beauty berry is available in white- and purple-blooming varieties Viette noted, and the berries will stay on the tree all season long.

“Plant now,” he said. “so you can enjoy many years of bright, fall color in your garden.”

Sourwood trees

Beautyberry

To find the station nearest you that airs Real Virginia, or to view the show online, visit VaFarmBureau.org.

VirginiaFarmBureau.com

Full Moon maple

Mark Viette appears on Real Virginia, Virginia Farm Bureau’s weekly television program. Viette and his father operate the Andre Viette Farm and Nursery in Augusta County and have a live radio show broadcast by more than 60 mid-Atlantic stations each Saturday morning. They also are members of the Augusta County Farm Bureau. Andre Viette currently serves on the organization’s board of directors and on the Virginia Farm Bureau Federation Ornamental Horticulture Advisory Committee, and Mark Viette is a former Augusta Farm Bureau board member. august 2013

23

Good for You!

Vitamin D-filled MUSHROOMS can boost bone and muscle

By Kathy Dixon Vitamin D is crucial for good bone health and muscle strength, and researchers have found that eating certain types of mushrooms can help provide vitamin D. If you eat a varied diet and get about 20 minutes of unfiltered sun per day, then you probably are receiving all the vitamin D you need, according to the Institute of Medicine. But if you aren’t, chances are you don’t need a supplement; you need vitamin D-rich foods, the institute said.

Tuna, salmon and egg yolks are all natural sources of vitamin D. Fortified foods such as milk and cereal provide most of the vitamin D in Americans’ diets, and now some mushrooms can be added to that list.

When processors expose those mushrooms to ultraviolet light, the vitamin D content skyrockets, said Kathryn Strong, a registered dietitian and Virginia Cooperative Extension family and consumer sciences agent serving Fairfax and Arlington counties.

“Since sun exposure can be risky, it’s best to rely on fortified foods to get the vitamin D your body needs to stay healthy,” Strong said. “UV-treated mushrooms are an excellent choice. Not only do they provide a hefty supply of vitamin D, but they’re also low in calories and contain many other essential nutrients and phytochemicals.”

Mushrooms contain a precursor to vitamin D, Strong explained. When the mushrooms are exposed to UV light, those compounds are activated and the vitamin D content can increase by 4,000 percent.

Boston University School of Medicine researchers discovered that eating UV-treated mushrooms can be as effective at increasing or maintaining vitamin D levels as taking a supplement.

Adequate amounts of vitamin D help the body maintain bone density, which reduces the risk of fracture, osteoarthritis and osteoporosis. The nutrient also plays an integral role in balancing the immune system to help fight infections like the flu, and it reduces the risk of many common diseases, including cancer, cardiovascular disease, depression and diabetes.

“Ask your doctor to check your vitamin D level,” Strong suggested.

“Many people have levels that are on the low end of normal or even deficient.

Doctors commonly prescribe a vitamin D supplement to get levels back to normal.”

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Virginia Farm Bureau News

Once your vitamin D is normal, you can eat mushrooms to help maintain it.

“These value-added products are labeled as such on the package,” Strong said.

“You’ll usually find UV-treated button and portabella varieties.”

Sautéed mushrooms make great toppers for grilled meats and are tasty in salads, pasta dishes and stir-frys.

“While UV-treated mushrooms are an exciting new development in nutrition, regular mushrooms are still a fantastic choice,” Strong said. “Mushrooms are a favorite ingredient for expert and novice cooks alike.”

Fresh varieties can be found at local farmers’ markets right now. Simply marinate portabella mushrooms in your favorite vinaigrette, and grill them to lighten up your summer cookout, Strong suggested. Grilling or oven-roasting mushrooms . “brings out rich, mouth-watering flavors.”

UV-treated mushrooms should be handled and prepared the same as the untreated variety. Thoroughly rinse mushrooms, and dry them with a clean kitchen towel to remove as much water as possible. Remove the stems and any dark spots.

Spinach Sauté with Mushrooms INGREDIENTS

3 bunches spinach (about 2 pounds) 1 cup mushrooms 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 tablespoon lemon juice salt and pepper to taste

Stone-ground Grits with Mushrooms and Asparagus INGREDIENTS

2 pounds asparagus 2 ounces peanut oil 2 tablespoons garlic, minced 2 tablespoons shallot, minced 3 cups chicken stock 1 cup grits, stone ground 1 pound mushrooms, mixed types, quartered 1 cup heavy cream ¼ cup butter DIRECTIONS Trim the asparagus, peel the stalks and slice into 2” pieces. Blanch and shock the asparagus tips and set aside.

In a saucepan, sauté the garlic and shallot in peanut oil until they are clear.

Add the chicken stock, and bring mixture to a boil. Stir in the grits; return to a boil, and reduce heat to simmer. Simmer 30 minutes, stirring frequently. Add additional stock if needed.

After 30 minutes, add asparagus stalk slices and mushrooms. When the grits are tender, add the cream and butter, and stir well. Simmer another 10 minutes, and serve hot, garnished with asparagus tips.

Source: Chef John Maxwell

DIRECTIONS Stem and wash the spinach. Slice mushrooms. Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add mushrooms and garlic, and sauté for 3 minutes. Add spinach, and cover and steam for 2 minutes. Add lemon juice, salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

Makes 4 servings.

Source: Ellen Smith, Virginia Cooperative Extension family and consumer services agent in Mecklenburg County VaFarmBureau.org

VirginiaFarmBureau.com

august 2013

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Heart of the Home

Slow cooker creole is easy way to enjoy summer peppers This easy slow cooker recipe features fresh Virginia green peppers mixed with succulent shrimp. The best part about it is you can put the ingredients in the slow cooker in the morning, and it will be ready for dinner when you get home.

Cookbook author Kendra Bailey Morris recommends searing the vegetables before adding them to the slow cooker, to add flavor to the dish.

Slow Cooker Shrimp Creole INGREDIENTS

DIRECTIONS Coat the inside of the slow cooker with cooking spray. Heat the butter and olive oil in a cast iron pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and celery, and sauté for 3-4 minutes or until translucent. Add the garlic, and sauté for another minute. Transfer the onion, celery and garlic to the slow cooker, and add the tomatoes, tomato sauce, thyme, sugar, Worcestershire sauce, chili powder, salt, cayenne and bay leaves. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours.

One hour before serving, add the bell pepper, and continue to cook on low. During the last 10 minutes of cooking, add the shrimp and cook until they are pink and slightly curled (Be careful not to overcook them). Season with salt and pepper. Remove the bay leaves, and spoon mixture over rice. Garnish with fresh chives, and serve with hot sauce on the side.

Add the shrimp to the mixture in the last 10 minutes of cooking, and serve this dish with hot sauce on the side.

kathy dixon

1 tablespoon unsalted butter 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil 1 cup chopped onion ½ cup chopped celery 4 small cloves of garlic, minced 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained 8-ounce can tomato sauce ¼ teaspoon dried thyme 1 teaspoon sugar 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce 1 teaspoon chili powder ¼ teaspoon salt, plus more to taste ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper, or more to taste 2 bay leaves ½ cup diced green bell pepper 1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined salt and black pepper steamed long-grain rice, for serving minced chives or green onions, for garnish hot sauce, for serving

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Virginia Farm Bureau News

VaFarmBureau.org

Heart of the Home

Mix sweet watermelon with salty seasonings for a cool summer salad This fresh summer salad mixes salty and sweet for a savory combination. The sweet Virginia watermelon mixes well with salty Virginia ham and feta cheese, said cookbook author Kendra Bailey Morris.

The salad is finished with a basic vinaigrette that can be used in other dishes as well. Morris recommends using a high-quality extra virgin olive oil for this dressing. “It’s worth the splurge.”

Watermelon Salad with Country Ham, Feta and Candied Pecans INGREDIENTS

1 teaspoon honey 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard 1 teaspoon minced shallot ¹⁄8 cup balsamic vinegar ½ cup extra virgin olive oil salt and pepper to taste 1 teaspoon vegetable oil ¼ pound country ham, cut into thin slices 6 ounces baby spinach, arugula or baby kale 3 cups watermelon, seeded and cut into cubes ½ cup feta cheese 2 tablespoons minced fresh mint Candied Pecans (See recipe)

Candied Pecans INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons unsalted butter 2 tablespoons brown sugar pinch of cayenne pepper pinch of black pepper ¾ cup pecan halves

DIRECTIONS In a medium bowl, whisk honey, mustard, shallots and balsamic vinegar until blended.

Slowly whisk in the olive oil until the dressing has fully emulsified. Season with salt and pepper, and set aside.

Preheat a cast iron skillet to mediumhigh. Add oil to the pan, and then add the country ham pieces. Fry ham until crispy on all sides, about 10 to 12 minutes. Drain on paper towels.

In a large mixing bowl, toss the greens with about a tablespoon of the dressing until coated. Divide the greens among four large salad plates. Top each salad with watermelon, feta cheese, country ham pieces, Candied Pecans and fresh mint.

Drizzle with some of the dressing, and serve with additional dressing on the side.

DIRECTIONS Preheat a nonstick pan over medium heat.

Add butter, sugar, cayenne and black pepper.

Cook until melted and slightly bubbly. Add the pecans, and cook 1 to 2 minutes or until they are fully coated with the butter mixture. Transfer the pecans to a plate lined with parchment paper, and separate them so they don’t stick together. Store in a covered container until ready to use.

The honey-mustard vinaigrette from this recipe can be used on other dishes as well. kathy dixon

To find the station nearest you that airs Real Virginia, or to view the show online, visit VaFarmBureau.org.

VirginiaFarmBureau.com

Kendra Bailey Morris appears each month on Real Virginia, Virginia Farm Bureau’s weekly television program, courtesy of Virginia Grown, a program of the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Morris is an author and culinary instructor whose work appears in Better Homes and Gardens, Food Republic, Virginia Living, Chile Pepper and other publications and is a former food columnist for the Richmond Times-Dispatch. Her blog is at fatbackandfoiegras.blogspot.com. august 2013

27

VFBF communications USDA digitizes 77 years of staff earn national award agricultural statistics The Virginia Farm Bureau Federation has been recognized with an American Farm Bureau Federation public relations award for work in support of a proposed amendment to Virginia’s constitution to curb eminent domain abuse.

VFBF communications NOVEMBER 6, 2012 staff accepted the honor at the AFBF’s annual information OTE and communications conference in June.

ON QUESTION 1 They earned first place in the category of PRIVATE PROPERTY RIGHTS Best Public Relations Campaign for work related to the 2012 “Vote Yes on Question 1” campaign. The campaign was launched to educate voters about eminent domain abuse and encourage approval of a constitutional amendment on last November’s ballot. Virginians overwhelmingly approved the measure.

The judges said Virginia’s entry included “focused goals,” and they liked that it involved a strong grassroots lobbying.

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Virginia Farm Bureau News

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service has simplified access to historical data by putting 77 years’ worth of agricultural statistics online.

The information, which was published in annual NASS Agricultural Statistics bulletins, is at nass.usda.gov/Publications/ Ag_Statistics/index.asp. They detail U.S. farming for much of the 20th century, including the Dust Bowl and World War II. While digitizing the bulletins, NASS statisticians uncovered some interesting facts, including the following: • U.S. egg exports skyrocketed from 5 million dozen in 1940 to 153 million dozen in 1941, the same year the Lend-Lease policy was enacted to provide food aid to Britain and other allies during World War II. By 1944, that number was nearly 700 million dozen.

• In 1933, hybrid corn seeds made up only one-tenth of 1 percent of the national crop. Within 10 years, that proportion reached 50 percent, and by 1956, more than 90 percent of the national corn crop was grown from hybrid seeds.

• Iowa harvested 2.36 billion bushels of corn in 2011—more than the entire U.S. corn harvest of 1935.

• Once staples of American farms, horse and mule populations fell from 18.7 million in 1930 to 3.1 million in 1960, after which the statistic was discontinued in NASS bulletins.

VaFarmBureau.org

Preview new application process for the health insurance marketplace The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act calls for the creation of state-based competitive marketplaces, known as Affordable Health Insurance Exchanges or Health Insurance Marketplaces, for individuals and small businesses to purchase private health insurance.

The act requires the exchanges to become operational in 2014.

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the exchanges will allow for direct comparisons of private health insurance options based on price, quality and other factors, and will coordinate eligibility for premium tax credits and other affordability programs.

On Jan. 25, the health department released draft versions of applications that will be used by individuals seeking to enroll in health insurance coverage through an exchange in 2014. In response to the length and complexity of those applications, the department released simplified versions on April.

The applications will be used in states such as Virginia that will be using a federally facilitated exchange. Enrollment in the exchanges for eligible individuals and small businesses is expected to begin on Oct. 1.

Paper applications HHS released three separate paper applications: • An application for individuals who are applying for affordability programs. This will be used by single adults who are not eligible for coverage through their employers.

• An application for individuals who are not applying for affordability programs. This can be used by anyone who is not eligible for premium tax credits, cost-sharing reductions, Medicaid or CHIP coverage.

• A second, longer application for those who are applying for affordability programs. This will be used by single adults and families who are offered employer-sponsored coverage.

Required information The exchange applications will ask applicants to provide certain demographic and financial information, such as: • the number and relationship of household members, if any (including a spouse, dependent child, unmarried partner and any other tax dependents or children in the household); • federal income tax filing status; • disability, if any; • citizenship; • income for the year; • average number of hours worked each week; • federal income tax deductions; and • health coverage (whether currently enrolled or eligible).

If you are filling out any of the applications and have questions, guidance is available from Virginia Farm Bureau health insurance agents in county Farm Bureau offices.

VirginiaFarmBureau.com

Leah Gustafson is a marketing specialist for Experient Health.

august 2013

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Marketplace CROPS DEER, RABBIT, GROUNDHOG REPELLENT – $12.95 makes ten gallons. Safe, effective, weatherproof long-lasting guaranteed. www.repels.net, 540-586-6798.

SPREADERS – Fertilizer, lime, GVM Stolfus and NC. All in good to excellent condition.

Call 540-229-8803.

FOR RENT – Snowville Va., 65 acres pasture cross-fenced and ponds. 540-633-0243 or sdaniels20@verizon.net.

HEIFERS – Three, bred, will calve in September. Simmental influenced, bred to Hoover Dam bull. 540-239-5471.

FOR SALE – John Deere 655B loader $20,000. 540-789-7395.

LIVESTOCK

REGISTERED – Black Angus seed stock; fall born; bulls and heifers; AI sire. Sammy Smith 434-664-8767.

AZOMITE – Mineral supplement with over 70 trace elements. www.Azomite.com for Va. dealers. DF International 540-373-3276.

TANDEM AXLE – Red or yellow drying trailers, 8 to pick from, many uses $525.

757-630-8550.

FARM EQUIPMENT

MF 2705 – with 246 loader, 1,760 hours.

540-721-2574.

MISCELLANEOUS – Tractor parts for sale.

Mostly IH, make offer for lot. 804-493-7407.

MASSEY FERGUSON 150 – Gas LPTO $4,500. Ford 600 LPTO snow plow, good condition $3,500. 540-460-5750.

POST HOLE DIGGER – International, 8-inch auger $150. 540-929-4885.

6400 JOHN DEERE TRACTOR – And 933C Caterpillar dozer loader for sale in Rustburg, Va. 443-928-4728.

5.5 TRANSPREAD – From GVM, purchased new, in good condition, field ready, $6,500. 540-229-8803.

NEWTON CROUCH NC6000 – Fertilizer spreader, tandem axle, 540 RPM, ground drive, like new, $12,500. 540-229-8803.

FERGUSON 30 – Motor overhauled, runs great $2,500. 804-876-3815.

MADISON COUNTY – Va. Locally raised all natural 100% pastured, grain-finished Angus, AngusX and Hereford beef.

Wholesale, retail, shipping available.

540-923-4036.

AQHA – Barrel horses 1D-2D starters.

EasyJet Dash for Cash Special Effort Jets Payday bloodlines. 276-445-5993.

GRASS FED – Longhorn steers, all sizes and colors, $500 to $600 each.

804-240-6662.

STRAW – For sale, $3 a bale.

Call 804-731-3103.

FOR SALE – Angus Bulls, calving ease, semen tested, excellent bloodlines, reasonably priced and good selection.

Delivery available. C-Stock Farm, Scottsville day 434-286-2743, after 7 p.m.

434-981-1397 or 434-286-2423.

GRAPES – And wine expertise. www. winemakingconsultant.com. Tom Payette 540-672-0387.

STARTED – Pullets, free range organic fed, Barred Rock Buff Orpington, will lay July, $20. 540-464-6699.

HAY AND STRAW HAY FOR SALE – Square baled for horses.

Rustburg, Va. 443-928-4728.

CALIFORNIA RABBITS – Breeding age from top bloodline when available for $50 each or $125 trio. 804-769-4781.

LIVESTOCK EQUIPMENT ANTIQUE – Two Amish made horse drawn, strong, fancy carriages. Fred Martin, Martinsville, Va. 276-340-3991.

LIVESTOCK BARNS – Hay sheds, rough and dressed lumber. We make metal roofing.

Offices at Lynchburg, Roanoke, Danville and Axton. Max Kendall Lumber & Tin, Maxkendalllumber.com. Free call 1-888-434-2825.

2014 magazine classified ad schedule and policies Members of Virginia Farm Bureau will receive one free 15-word classified ad per membership per year in Virginia Farm Bureau News, which is mailed to producer members, or in Cultivate, which is mailed to associate members.

Ads of 16 to 30 words must be accompanied by payment of $20.

Any additional ads placed by members in the same calendar year must be accompanied by payment of $10 for 15 words or fewer, or $20 for 16 to 30 words. Ads submitted without payment will be returned. We do not invoice for classified ads or provide proofs or tearsheets.

Ads with more than 30 words and ads from nonmembers will not be accepted.

Use the form in the January 2014 issue of Virginia Farm Bureau News or the online form at VaFarmBureau.org/marketplace to place your ad. No ads or cancellations will be taken by phone. Ads will be accepted only from members whose membership is current.

Magazine classified ads can be placed in the following five categories only: • Crops; • Farm Equipment; • Hay/Straw; • Livestock; and • Livestock equipment.

Classified ads will be published in the following issues: • April Cultivate (mailed to associate members only); • May Farm Bureau News (mailed to producer members only); • July Cultivate (mailed to associate members only); and • August Farm Bureau News (mailed to producer members only).

Finding your member number When placing your ad, be sure to include your Farm Bureau member number, which can be found above your name on the mailing label of your copy of Virginia Farm Bureau News. All member numbers will be verified.

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Virginia Farm Bureau News

VaFarmBureau.org

Help people find your fall and winter farm products, with Farm Bureau Fresh If you are a Virginia farmer who direct-markets meats, eggs, produce or fibers, there’s a Farm Bureau member benefit that can make it easier for potential customers to find you.

Farm Bureau Fresh, based on the Virginia Farm Bureau website at VaFarmBureau.org/ marketplace, lets members place free, searchable listings of up to 45 words. Farm Bureau began promoting Farm Bureau Fresh last year to anyone with an interest in local foods and other farm products.

Consumers can use Farm Bureau Fresh to search for products in any of 11 categories, or use a ZIP code to locate all producers in a specific area who sell to the public. In addition to addresses, phone numbers and farm websites, they’ll be able to access a map and Google travel directions to your farm, stand or other venue.

Products currently are being listed in the following categories:

• agritourism; • aquaculture; • bees and honey; • Christmas trees; • CSAs; • eggs; • fiber; • flowers; • fruit; • meat; • mushrooms; • pick-your-own; • pumpkins; and • vegetables.

In August, Real Virginia focuses on giant pumpkins and feeding the hungry

Watch this!

To view RealVirginia, visit VaFarmBureau.org.

VirginiaFarmBureau.com

Ever want to raise a giant vegetable? Get some tips on how to grow a pumpkin you’ll need a backhoe to move. Plus, learn how some Virginia farmers are helping feed the hungry through gleaning programs.

Real Virginia airs nationwide at 6:30 p.m. on the first Wednesday of each month on RFD-TV on Dish Network and DirecTV. It can also be watched weekly on WVPT Harrisonburg, WBRA Roanoke, WCVE Richmond, WHRO Norfolk, WVVA Bluefield and WTKR Norfolk, as well as on 40 cable systems across the state. It’s available online at VaFarmBureau.org.

Check local television listings, or visit VaFarmBureau.org for a list of participating stations.

august 2013

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Financing Country Living Since 1916 The Experts in Rural Finance Homes • Land • Construction • Livestock Barns • Outbuildings • Equipment

800-919-FARM (3276) www.FarmCredit.com